Your favorite ending and why.

James got a letter. From a dead person. Oh dear.

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Your favorite?

Leave
43
41%
In Water
31
30%
Maria
7
7%
Rebirth
16
15%
UFO
0
No votes
DOG
8
8%
 
Total votes: 105

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alone in the town
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Re: Your favorite ending and why.

Post by alone in the town »

It has vexed me for a long time why Rebirth can't be achieved until getting one of the other endings. It's not a joke or bonus ending, it is plot-significant and is the only ending in which James appears to get what he initially claimed to want. I can see some gameplay-related justifications for this, but within the context of the overall plot, it doesn't make sense to me.

I've also come to a sort of meta understanding of this game's endings; this is not one story about one man with four possible outcomes. This is four stories, about four James Sunderlands, each of whom is different in some key way pertaining to their personality and character. To be more clear on this, I don't think the same person who ends up Leaving with Laura is exactly the same person who tries to leave with Maria. I think the fact that you, the player, make key choices to affect the ending belies the reality, which is that all the really important decisions and points of divergence really take place before the game even begins. After all, many of us accept the idea that there are different realities, different universes, parallel worlds, within the framework of Silent Hill. So, why can't Silent Hill 2 take place in four alternate realities, all virtually identical but for a tiny number of extremely important differences?
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JPS 79
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Re: Your favorite ending and why.

Post by JPS 79 »

I prefer the dialogue and the scenes in the Leave ending. It's the only ending where James is completely honest and open when speaking to Mary. It may or may not be the more believable ending. I would also like to point out that it's not necessarily a happy ending once you begin to dig deeper into the situation.
Dr. Robotnik
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Re: Your favorite ending and why.

Post by Dr. Robotnik »

Ryantology wrote: 23 Jul 2021 It has vexed me for a long time why Rebirth can't be achieved until getting one of the other endings. It's not a joke or bonus ending, it is plot-significant and is the only ending in which James appears to get what he initially claimed to want. I can see some gameplay-related justifications for this, but within the context of the overall plot, it doesn't make sense to me.

I've also come to a sort of meta understanding of this game's endings; this is not one story about one man with four possible outcomes. This is four stories, about four James Sunderlands, each of whom is different in some key way pertaining to their personality and character. To be more clear on this, I don't think the same person who ends up Leaving with Laura is exactly the same person who tries to leave with Maria. I think the fact that you, the player, make key choices to affect the ending belies the reality, which is that all the really important decisions and points of divergence really take place before the game even begins. After all, many of us accept the idea that there are different realities, different universes, parallel worlds, within the framework of Silent Hill. So, why can't Silent Hill 2 take place in four alternate realities, all virtually identical but for a tiny number of extremely important differences?
This, this, this. SH2 really is one of those games where I learn something new each time I play, or even whenever I think about it. James is a character that we get to create. With just a few different playstyles, we can take an ambiguous situation and put wildly varying spins on it. The Leave and Maria endings represent two opposite ends of the "sympathetic" versus "unsympathetic" spectrum, and yet both of them feel entirely organic for the protagonist.

I appreciate your acknowledgment of the Rebirth ending. I think the other three are equally valuable, since they all show that what James wants isn't possible; the deed is done, and he has to take responsibility for himself one way or another. Rebirth is the only ending where he gives finality the finger and actively tries to make Silent Hill work for him. I can't see the end result being what he hoped for, personally (a Pet Sematary scenario is highly plausible), but the sheer open-endedness of the whole thing makes me wonder. Could Rebirth be as close as Silent Hill gets to happily ever after?
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